Weekend

I finally took out the finished compost, and it seems pretty great.  It's super dark and damp and heavy, but crumbly, and there are so many worms!  The hardest part of this was definitely getting the worms out, so I could put them back in the compost bin.  I ended up leaving a significant amount of what is probably really good compost in the bottom, because at that point it was like, worms held together by compost.  (And meanwhile, Mom is throwing away multiple bags of leaves! I can't even.)

So, I put a layer on the Mandevilla (it's so neglected) and on the Rosemary, and I put 6-8 handfuls into the raised bed, trying to spread them near the back.

I was able to pick up the mostly empty compost bin and move it to the space between the AC and the house, where it fits perfectly.  It might actually stay kind of warm there, for a little longer.  So now there's this big empty spot where I can ultimately extend the raised bed and grow tomatoes and stuff.

Then I took the plastic planters with the Zinnias out of the window box, and put the containers in the spot where the compost was.  I thought about planting them right in the ground, but it's super compact clay, and since I'm going to build a raised bed on top, I don't see the point in amending the soil.  The plants are at least 2 feet high, so they look totally crazy in there.   I back-filled it with compost and more old potting soil, and I put in the starter Radicchio.  I'll also put in some Mesclun or something like that.  I think it should get enough sun, hopefully?

The green beans are finally producing at the rate I was expecting.  I filled a quart sized bag with less than a week's worth of beans, that I will probably give to mom.

I do need to figure out where to put all the seedling starts I've got.  The things under the light, I kind of want them to get farther along.  They should stay undisturbed until their roots are pressing up against the sides.  Right now I have a 6 pack of Radicchio that look nice, very compact and a little bit of red.  And there's a 6 pack of Kale that looks pretty good, but I wish it would grow a bit more.  I guess it's just making roots, which is good, right?  But yeah, it does not look like I should mess with it anytime soon.  I have a 6 pack of Swiss Chard that only has 2 plants in it, so I guess the other 4 didn't happen for some reason?  so I should go ahead and re-seed the other spots.  Then I also have the leftover nursery starters, 2 10-packs.  There's one with Bok Choy, and one with Swiss Chard.  I guess I need to get those transplanted.